A beggar had been sitting by the side of the road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked by.Spare some change? mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his baseball cap.I have nothing to give you, said the stranger. Then he added, What's that you are sitting on?Nothing, replied the beggar, Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.Ever look inside? asked the stranger.What's the point? There's nothing in there.Have a look inside, insisted the stranger.The beggar managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw the box was filled with gold.

-Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Novato CA, 1999; p. 9